Amba
Tawadros is somebody who is a very good monk and bishop, has been serving with
the current interim Patriarch for over 20 years and is somebody who has
hands-on experience with diocesan work and administrative work, but also has a
very firm spiritual foundation to everything he does. He is fluent in English
and is forward thinking and he will be able to present very much to the church
if he is chosen”.

What will the main challenges for the next Pope
be?

There will
be three main challenges.

First is
the current situation in Egypt, which has changed significantly in the past
almost two years. Not only in terms of the political administration and regime,
but also in terms of people’s mind-set and the way they deal with issues, the
concept of democracy being people saying whatever they want to say, regardless
of responsibility, outcome or accountability. It’s almost a complete breakdown
in the fear barrier which has led to a relative anarchy in some cases. There
are greater security risks and political risks because the situation is not yet
stable regarding the current president or his administration or Government.
Engagement will have to be on constantly changing ground, moving ground,
because nobody knows where things are going at the moment.

The second
challenge is that the church has spread so far. Being a church that started in
Egypt and is predominantly in Egypt, but a church that now exists all over the
world, and being able to deal with that diversity is a challenge that is not
impossible, because it has been met so far, but it is a challenge that will
continue to increase because of the way that both the situation in the Middle
East and in the West are constantly evolving.

The third
challenge is that he steps into the shoes of the late Pope Shenouda, who was
not only an exemplary and charismatic figure, but who was also there in that
place for forty years. So he is dealing with a charismatic figure with 40 years
of experience behind him, and stepping into those shoes will also be quite a
task.

Having said
that, we believe that God’s choice will be there, the Holy Spirit will empower
him, and that he will not be acting alone, but that he will be guided as God
sees fit for him and his people.